AN: Delicious citrus ahead, obvious enough where it starts, I put a line at the end even though it's all part of the same scene, but for those that want to skip it the end is easier to notice this way.
Aruiteku Together Forever – Chapter Fifteen
Kaname lay on her bed in the hospital room, the cot pressed up against the one that held Sousuke. She watched his face, holding his hand, hoping for any sign of change. It had been a week since they had taken him off the sedative. The doctors had tried assuring her that this was not the time to worry; he was maintaining all of his brain functions, his body just needed to finish its recovery on its own terms now.
There was only so much that medicine and treatment could do, they had given him all the help they could, now to let nature run its course. If anything looked like it would change for the worse, they had drugs they could use to wake him up, but they insisted it was best to let him have the rest for some time.
Finally, there was something. She sat up in the bed sure that she had just seen his expression change. After a few moments, Sousuke grimaced in pain and groaned, slowly blinking his eyes as he came to awareness. Kaname held her breath, staring down at him, watching him look around in dazed confusion. When he was satisfied he knew his location, he turned his gaze to her. His jaw worked as he tried to speak, and he frowned when no sound came out.
Kaname turned and reached for a bottle of water she had, then helped him carefully sit up and drink the liquid, a little at a time so he could get used to swallowing again. She put the cap back on the bottle and set aside, reaching out to swipe his bangs out of his eyes and gently touch his face. His expression softened and he leaned into her touch, kissing her hand when it grazed past his lips.
"How do you feel?"
Sousuke cleared his throat before responding, voice harsh from air tearing through his dry throat, "Like shit," he answered briefly and frankly. She had never heard him talk like that before, and she giggled at his candidness. "I'll be all right though, I think. Everything hurts but I feel like I'm intact," he made a face and looked down at himself, noting the fresh scars marring his body. "What about you, Kaname?"
She gave him a trembling smile, trying to be brave for him as she lowered him back down onto the bed. "I'm all right, I guess. Tessa, Mao-san, and Kurz have all been looking after me, bringing me food and clothes so I could stay here with you," she squeezed his hand and he nodded slowly, wincing when he settled down completely.
"How bad is it?" he asked her, noting all of the machines he was hooked up to. She squeezed his hand again and looked away, a bitter expression crossing her face. He tightened his grip on her hand, though he frowned at the lack of strength he found he had.
With a sigh, she turned back to him and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead before answering. "It was pretty bad for awhile. You've been out for two weeks," he flinched, "the first was because they kept you sedated. It took a full week for you to come out on your own though. Your back is pretty badly burned, which is why they kept you out, and you have a lot of cuts from shrapnel tearing across your body. From everything I've heard though, it's a miracle you're even alive, let alone in that," she paused and made a face at her next words, "good of shape."
Sousuke nodded slowly, understanding. One of the nurses stepped in to check on his vitals and noticed he was awake. She called out the door then walked over to them, berating Kaname for not alerting them. Sousuke scowled at the nurse and said he had just woken up and that she should not speak to her like that. Kaname smiled and shook her head, leaning in to give him another kiss. It was just like him to defend her, no matter what his condition. She felt good, seeing that he still had his fighting spirit despite everything. She felt her own strength returning from the protective display.
Kaname was sent off to the side while they ran a string of tests to determine his cognitive awareness. Throughout the whole exam he scowled, not appreciating the way they were fussing over him and pushing Kaname away. He assured them multiple times that he was quite alright, knew exactly when it was, who he was, where he was, and what had happened to him. He knew what head injuries felt like, he'd certainly had his fair share of them, and he was fine. The doctors ignored him and continued their questions, as well as poking at him and inquiring about his pain.
After what felt like ages, the doctors finally let him be, saying they wanted to keep watch on him for twenty-four hours before they would let him go. They went over instructions regarding his care with the two of them, how to tend his burns, which were not as bad now. The medications he would be leaving with and what doses to take them in when. They also included a recommended diet to ease his body into accepting food again as well as promote good healing, particularly for the burns.
The two lay on the beds facing each other, holding each other's hands and just enjoying being together. Kaname finally felt as though she could believe the doctor's insistence that he would be already, and with the release of tension, she noticed just how sore all of her muscles were. Sousuke was content just to be with her. Suddenly, she leapt off the bed and ran to the small bathroom, and he could hear her retching. He frowned and struggled to sit up, groaning as pain lanced through his body.
Several agonizingly long minutes passed before she came back, and when she saw him, she rushed to his side. He was sitting up, his knees drawn up to his chest, panting and sweating from the pain. She eased him down and asked him if she should call in one of the doctors. He reached around for her hand, eyes shut tight in a grimace, and he squeezed her hand before gritting out an answer. "I'll be fine. But, what about you? You're still getting sick?"
"It's nothing, Sousuke, I'm fine."
He growled and shook his head, forcing his eyes open so he could look at her. "Kaname… You're not fine. It's been two weeks now? And you're still getting sick? Please-,"
"Sousuke, don't, please. I'm fine, I promise," she had cut him off, hoping he would drop it. He stared at her, the pain in his eyes from more than just his physical injuries, and finally he sighed and acquiesced, albeit unwillingly. She squeezed his hand in thanks just as the door opened and Melissa, Kurz, and Tessa walked in bearing breakfast.
Immediately, Sousuke was pounced upon by Melissa and Kurz. At first he was confused by the onslaught of apologies from his two teammates, and it took him a few minutes to sort through their jumbled words and realize just what it was they were saying. Slowly, he shook his head, "Uh, what is it exactly you're sorry for?"
They stopped and looked at each other, then back at him. Melissa smiled sadly and shrugged, "I feel like we should have been able to do more for you. This should never have happened, Sousuke."
"Nonsense, the enemy was far superior and equipped with a lambda driver. The Arbalest was already at its limit. It is far more likely that, if you had not been there to extract me immediately, I would have died," as he spoke, he tilted his head to the side, considering his own words. "Just… how exactly did you get me out?"
They exchanged looks again, and this time Kurz was the one that answered. "It was pretty strange man, I gotta say. After that guy destroyed your AS he just left. Bastard taunted us too, waving before getting away," he growled, balling his hands into fists that shook. Sousuke decided not to dwell too much on it. The Arbalest had been the only piece of equipment in all of Mithril which could stand against Amalgam's superior technology. It stood to reason that it was the only thing they perceived as a threat, and having gotten rid of it, Mithril was now considered insignificant.
He did feel some regret, however. Although he had really hated that machine and its snarky AI in the beginning, he had grown to appreciate and even like Al. The destruction of the unit gave him a strange sense of melancholy. It felt as though he had lost a friend, even if it was just a machine. He closed his eyes and sighed.
Almost immediately he could feel Kaname leaning over him, she brushed his hair away and touched his face. He opened his eyes to look up at her and saw she had a worried expression. "Are you all right, Sousuke? How's the pain?"
Sousuke smiled softly, "I'm fine. The pain is same as before. I was just thinking about something, that's all."
Satisfied with his answer, she sat back up, though she left her hand where it was. The touch soothed him, and he turned his head to increase the contact. She continued eating her breakfast one-handed, leaving the other to run through his hair and caress his face. Halfway through the meal, she felt her stomach churn again and swore as she found herself once again running to the bathroom. Sousuke stared at the closed door, wishing desperately that he could go after her.
"Is she all right?" Melissa asked, glancing down at him.
He grimaced and shook his head, "No. She was throwing up before I left, too. She says she's fine, that it's 'just' stress. She refuses to see anyone about it," he sighed, "though it would make me feel a lot better if she would just get examined. She can be so stubborn."
They all nodded, and Melissa gently placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Well, don't worry. We'll help you convince her, if we have to drag her in front of Peggy ourselves!"
Sousuke smiled gratefully up at her. He felt so useless, stuck in bed, unable to go to her side when he felt she needed him. When Kaname came back, she had her head lowered so her hair hid her face. She just knew they would all get on her case now, there was no way any of them would let her illness go unexplained, and with Sousuke injured, it was obvious there was no sympathy left over for her. Then tension in the air just furthered her worries, and Kurz was the first on to speak up.
"So, Kaname… Normally when a person throws up several times, they see a doctor," he grinned mockingly at her, and she looked up at his expression and glared.
She huffed and squared her shoulders, thrusting her nose into the air haughtily, "Of course they do, when they have no explanation. I've been under a lot of stress lately, so it's obvious I would be sick."
"That's a load of bull and you fucking know it," Melissa spat out, giving her a dark look. "Now you listen to me. Either you go see Peggy today, and I will call her to find out, or tomorrow I'll drag you down there myself. Don't think for a moment I'll go easy on you, either!"
Kaname looked at Sousuke and saw he was staring at her intently. He made no move to defend her to Melissa, and she realized she had used up the last of his patience on the matter. Of course, his patience when it came to her well-being was on the short side to begin with. Her shoulders sagged with defeat and she nodded. "All right, all right. Fine. You win. I'll go see Peggy after lunch."
"Promise?" Sousuke's voice was hard to hear, but in the silent room the harsh whisper carried to her ears. She winced at the pain in his voice and nodded.
"Promise."
After the scene at breakfast, Sousuke fell back asleep, waking up when everyone returned for lunch. Kaname was retching again and they all sighed and shook their heads. "Honestly, how could she just let something like that go?"
"I wish I knew," Sousuke watched the door to the bathroom the whole time she was in there. She looked around guiltily when she saw the others there and sighed. They had her eat and then Melissa and Tessa dragged her out of the room, taking no chances that she would skip out on her promises. She muttered about them not trusting her the whole way down.
Melissa just turned a dirty look on her, "Of course not. Why should we? You keep blathering on, saying you're just fucking peachy when you're obviously not, and you fucking expect us to trust you now?"
Kaname winced at the cruel words. "Okay, you got me there. But I promised Sousuke I'd go. I wouldn't break my promise to him."
"Of course not Kaname-san, but this will give all of us some peace of mind," Tessa smiled gently up at her, hoping to bring her around. Kaname just nodded in understanding and grudgingly let them tow her through the halls to Peggy's office in the base hospital. "Miss Peggy, would you please look after Miss Kaname?" she spoke sweetly when they walked in, though concern was in her voice.
Peggy looked up and smiled. "Yes, of course. You two run along and I'll make sure she's taken care of."
"Thanks, Peggy. Don't let her run, either, stubborn girl was hard to get down here," Melissa smirked at Kaname as she walked out, hearing the girl sputter in anger behind her. Tessa said her own good-byes and rushed after her, shutting the door on her way out.
After they left, Kaname fidgeted nervously, looking over at Peggy who had a kind and patient expression. "Now, sit down and tell me just what's wrong. And what did she mean that you were hard to get down here? Please don't tell me you've been ignoring your health."
Kaname took her seat and blushed. "Well, it's just that, I figured I knew what was wrong and that there was no point in worrying about it. I was so stressed and worried – literally – sick about Sousuke from the time he got that mission assigned to him. I started throwing up then, and, well, I've thrown up several times a day every day since."
Peggy nodded slowly and understandingly. With Kaname's nervousness she had a feeling there was more to it, and she knew exactly what it would be. "Well, I'll just take your vitals and a urine sample and you can go back to the sergeant. He's going home tomorrow, right?" Kaname agreed. "Good, you go home as normal and I'll give you a ring when I get the results, all right?" Relieved, Kaname smiled and submitted to the tests, anxious to return to Sousuke.
Sousuke bit his lip to avoid crying out in pain. Every time the car jostled even the tiniest amount he could feel all of his injuries throbbing. He had been cleared to return home as expected, and though he was looking forward to being there, he found the interim to be extremely unpleasant. Kaname watched him helplessly, wanting to help him but knowing that touching him would just make him feel worse. She had tried.
It was not soon enough that they finally pulled up to the house, and Sousuke sat back in the seat gasping. They went ahead to open the door and pull down the sheets so they could rush him straight into the bed without any delays. Before he could relax too much they brought him in, letting him finish getting over the pain that transportation had caused him in comfort.
Kurz and Melissa helped Kaname clean up around the house, since she had not been there once after Sousuke was brought into the hospital. It felt good to be at home, even if she did have to clean. She really did not mind the chore, actually enjoying the domestic role. The two left when it was clear they were settled in, saying they would visit the next day and if Kaname or Sousuke needed anything they were just a phone call away. Kaname settled into the bed next to Sousuke, grateful to be able to finally be so close to him. He slung an arm awkwardly over her, holding her close to his chest and breathing in the sweet smell of her hair.
Kaname trailed her fingertips gently over his body in the areas that were not too terribly injured. He sighed at the touch, closing his eyes and a peaceful expression crossing his face. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him timidly. He immediately slid his tongue into her mouth and she moaned, shifting closer to him. Feeling pressure on a particularly painful injury made him flinch away, and she pulled back with concern. "I'm sorry, Sousuke! Are you all right?"
He bit his lip and then nodded, "Yeah. I'll be fine."
She settled back down the way she had at first, looking at him apologetically. He gave her a regretful look, the expression showing just how much he wanted to be close to her. As Kaname pushed his messy hair from his face, idly noting that she needed to give him a hair cut as soon as he could sit up for a good amount of time, an idea came to mind. She smiled at him and sat up. Sousuke saw the almost wicked expression on her face and found himself intrigued, though a little apprehensive.
"Can I take off your shirt, Sousuke?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously and giving him a heavy-lidded look that had him groaning and willing to agree to anything. Carefully, slowly, she helped him into a sitting position and unfastened the clasps the shirt. They all had agreed that a button-down shirt would be best for him for quite some time, no one wanting to make him lift his arms over his head or peel fabric over his back. Kaname straddled him, paying attention to where her weight settled so as not to press against him again, and slid his shirt off. She did this deliberately, trailing kisses along the uninjured and healed patches of skin, which was a thankfully far larger percentage of his body than had been two weeks prior.
Sousuke closed his eyes against the sensations, giving himself over to the pleasant tingle that coursed through his body. While sitting up still took a lot of his strength, he would be perfectly content to stay in that position forever if it meant feeling so wonderful under her ministrations. After throwing the shirt on the floor, Kaname leaned over him to rearrange the pillows and lower him down onto his back, watching his face for any sign of pain. When he was completely settled, she smiled softly down at him, "Any pain?"
He shook his head and she nodded with a satisfied grin. She removed her own shirt, followed by her bra and gave him a look that had him trembling with anticipation. He did not know what exactly it was she had in mind for him, but he was oh-so-excited to find out. He felt almost nervous, the same anxiety of the unknown coursing through him as she gently teased him in a way she never had before. Their love-making had always been a fight for dominance, this was the first time he had allowed her to have her way with him, and he began to wonder just what kind of an idiot he really was for not surrendering himself sooner.
Kaname knelt on the ground beside the bed and leaned in to nip at his earlobe. He moaned as she bit and suckled, trailing lips and teeth up the curve of his ear, only to tease the sensitized skin with the tip of her tongue and warm breath on the way back down. Sousuke gasped for air and tried to reach out for her, desperate to touch her and to take her, though he knew it was foolish. She giggled and grabbed his arm, lifting his hand to her mouth.
One by one she took his fingers into her mouth, sliding her lips tightly against them, flicking her tongue against the pads of his fingers and giving him a meaningful look the whole while. He stared at her, completely entranced, and swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. Oh, Kaname was a beautiful girl, and a delightfully sexy one as well, but this went beyond anything he had ever experienced before. She always did have that habit of surprising him by pushing past perceived limits.
When she finished with his fingers, she kissed her way up the sensitive skin of his wrist, scraping her teeth along his veins and continuing up his arm. With one hand, she held his arm, moving it slowly as she continued laving attention on her journey to his shoulder. With the other, she tenderly rubbed his hands, easing out any tension as well as wiping away the wetness she had left behind. Sousuke closed his eyes again and made a distinctly pleased sound, causing Kaname to smile.
She trailed her teeth across his collarbone, deviating from the prominent ridge only to nip at the raised veins and muscles of his neck mischievously. He groaned as he arched his hips into the air, finding himself missing the friction he sought as well as agitating the burns on his back. Kaname lifted her self up to caress his face for a few moments, "Shh, be patient," she cooed to him, easing him back into the feeling of pleasure.
When he had settled back down and the pain had mostly left his expression, she returned to her mission with a grin. Climbing back onto the bed and straddling him once more. Before returning her attentions to him, she decided to try something. She sat up on her knees and tilted her head back, eyes closed with an expectant smile on her face. She placed her hands just above the hem of her skirt over her hip bones, sliding her fingertips slowly and wickedly along her skin.
Sousuke watched her intently as her fingers worked their way up her taut stomach, gently bumping over her ribs, and then to trace the gentle curves of her breasts. He swallowed again and his teeth clicked together as he gave her nipples a hungry look. Silently he cursed her for pinning his arms to his side when she straddled him, though from the expression on her face it had to have been on purpose.
Kaname cupped her breasts and squeezed them, letting out a long moan at the pleasant feeling. She had never felt any reason to pleasure herself before, Sousuke having been the one to spark her sexual desires in the first place, and he was always there when she found herself needing release. These sensations were completely new to her as well, and she had a feeling this would not be nearly as satisfying if she were not doing it for him. She teasingly trailed her fingers across her breasts, deliberately passing by the nipples several times before her own curious desires did not allow her to leave them untouched any longer.
She rolled the peaks between her fingers and gasped at the pleasure, instinctively lowering her hips to press against Sousuke's groin wantonly. The sound he made was a garbled mix of intense need and frustration, which served to urge her on, grinding against him again. She bit her lip at the feel of the rough fabric of his pants scraping across the thin fabric of her panties, her skirt having ridden up to sit on her hips with the first buck of her hips.
It took her a moment to realize Sousuke was saying something, and she slowly opened her eyes to look down at him curiously. His face was contorted in pain, though she knew it was the pain of unreleased desires, not from his injuries, and he was begging her. Begging her to let him touch her, begging her to touch him, begging her just to beg, and she chuckled wickedly at him. Now she knew just what kind of torture it took to break him.
Kaname took pity on him, though, and leaned down to kiss him, carefully supporting her weight on her forearms. She settled her hands on either side of his head, and she turned her arms ever so slightly so she could run her fingertips tenderly along his scalp. He moaned into her mouth and tried to gain control, though he found it difficult without the use of his arms, which were still trapped between her knees. He found he did have a little more control of the limbs however, with her weight settled forward now, and he lifted them, twisting, and managed to hook his arms over the backs of her thighs.
She rocked back against his touch, gasping when his fingers managed to trail between her legs and tease at the hem of her panties. She wanted to let him have his way, but she had started this to do something, and she was not about to let him derail her. Reluctantly, Kaname sat back up and removed his hands, settling back down so that he could not move the devious limbs. The look he gave her made her laugh. Sousuke did not pout.
Carefully, she slung her leg over him to get off the bed. Back turned to him, she fixed her skirt. Then, slowly, agonizingly slowly to him, she unfastened the garment and slid it teasingly down her legs. Her hands splayed across her thighs and she hooked her thumbs under the top of her skirt, bending further and further over as she inched the clothing down her legs bit by bit. He could not hold back his groan at the erotic sight, and he strongly wished he were not so injured.
There was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to get out of bed, wrap his arms tight around her and take her in that position. One finger would slide the fabric of her underwear to the side, another would trail the wetness he could smell up to rub against her clit, which surely must be a hard nub of excruciating pleasure by now, and another still would slip between her lips to tease her in preparation for what would come next. Yes, then he would have her, still holding her panties off to the side, never removing them, and she would scream that delicious scream as he pounded inside of her ruthlessly, taking her again and again until-
Sousuke shouted with pleasure when he felt pressure on his straining cock. He had never noticed Kaname finish undressing, and had even remained in his fantasy when she removed his pants and boxers. It wasn't until her hand fisted around the base of his penis and her lips wrapped around the head that he had come back to the moment. Her tongue flicked across the tip, licking up the pre-cum as her hand pumped him hesitantly. This was the first time she had ever done this for him, and what she lacked in experience she was certainly more than making up for with enthusiasm.
Kaname gently applied pressure with her lips, bobbing her head up and down, slowly at first. She was finding it hard not to gag, but girls at school talked, and she did her best to relax her throat against the odd sensation. For her, it came easier than to others, a veteran practitioner of mind-over-matter, and several minutes into it she was finding it sliding down her throat less painfully. She could not take it all, but what she was managing was certainly enough for him. She had never heard him make those sounds before, and she felt extremely self-satisfied.
Her hand covered the areas her mouth could not, and she alternated between gentle pressure and trailing her fingertips over the skin teasingly. Sousuke was completely helpless to do anything but enjoy what she was giving him. He could not take her as he wanted to, he could not touch her in the ways he wanted to, he could not even react to the pleasure properly, lying still on the bed and panting heavily. Never had he felt so vulnerable than at this time. Never had he found himself enjoying the feel of being completely powerless. Letting Kaname do this was the single most freeing experience of his life, for once just letting go of absolutely everything.
When Sousuke felt fingers gingerly trail across his sac he completely lost it. He had wanted to be able to give her warning, it just seemed rude otherwise, but the sensation drove him over the edge with a strangled cry of pleasure. Kaname was startled when the heat filled her mouth, and she pulled back immediately, the rest shooting across his chest as he lay there gasping for air and making whimpering noises from the aftermath of such an intense orgasm. She swallowed what was in her mouth and made a face. That would definitely have to be an acquired taste…, and she wiped her mouth afterwards.
Glancing down at him, though, seeing him in such a state of obvious bliss, she felt good about the situation. She had found herself growing more and more curious about doing such a thing, and when he could not really do much for himself seemed like the appropriate time to try. She got up and found a washcloth, wetting it and bringing it back to the bed so she could wipe him clean. Kaname leaned in to kiss him, smiling down at him in adoration. Slowly, Sousuke opened his eyes and looked back at her in wonder. He lifted a shaky hand to brush across her cheek and returned the smile, speaking in a husky voice, "Thank you."
She giggled, "You're welcome. I'm going to go take a shower, are you okay or do you need something first?"
He shook his head, although he looked at her a bit sadly it seemed, "No. I just wish I could return the favor."
Kaname kissed him again then rose to her feet. "Don't worry about it, Sousuke. You can make it up to me when you're all better," she grinned and winked at him as she sauntered to the bathroom. She had seen that look he had given her, and she swore to herself that she would repeat the experiment when Sousuke was healthy again. It promised to be a highly enjoyable experience if she did.
She did not take too long in the shower, not wanting to leave Sousuke unattended for any longer than necessary. When she was done, she made a small lunch for them, feeding Sousuke despite his insistence that he could manage that much for himself. "I want to do this, it's fun, so shut up and eat the food, dummy," she had said with a grin. He gave up at that point and allowed her to have her way.
Sousuke sat back and relaxed while Kaname did the dishes in the kitchen. After what she had done for him, he felt better than any amount of pain killers could make him. His entire body was at ease and he felt a humming pleasantness throughout his entire being that pushed against the pain, driving it away. The phone rang, their only landline being on the small table beside the bed. He carefully reached out to pick it up, and when he heard who was on the line, he called out to Kaname.
Kaname came in, wiping her hands dry on a towel that she slung over her shoulder when down. Anxiously, she took the phone from him, having a feeling she knew what the call was, "Hello?"
"Kaname, it's Peggy," the kindly voice sounded over the receiver. From the tone alone she felt the anxiety leave her. Surely there was not any bad news when the woman sounded as she did. "We got your results back."
"And?"
"Well, you're not sick, it's just," she trailed off, wondering exactly how the girl would react.
She felt her nervousness return and she glanced worriedly at Sousuke, who looked concerned, "Just what?" Her eyes widened when she heard just what it was. She stammered into the phone, trying to come up with a coherent response and failing. That just… it could not be happening. What was she going to do? She wasn't ready for this. The strength left her all at once and the phone clattered to the ground as she fell to her knees, the words replaying themselves in her mind.
"You're pregnant."